Rocio De Alba
Conceptual Documentary Photographer

  • ONGOING PROJECTS
    • There is a Crack in Everything
    • She Who Found Grace
    • Two Sides of a Coin
  • COMPLETED PROJECTS
    • Miracle Baby
    • Honor Thy Mother
    • Girl Anachronism
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S H E   W H O   F O U N D   G R A C E

In this new developing series I employ multimedia canons to visually chronicle my journey to “radical acceptance of death.” Enlisting a scientific and academic approach, I embark on this cathartic endeavor by adopting ideologies from renowned theologians, philosophers, and contemporary artists pursuing healthy dialogues that attempt to shift society’s adverse perception of death.

After two years of laborious subsequent hypothesis, I was astonished to deduce that although end of life is inevitable, in actuality multiple components of my body are slowly dying the longer I live! This innovative revelation commenced an intimate self-healing process and a shift of my artistic practices - thus further arousing my ongoing intrigue concerning self-portraiture. Unlike conventional portraits however, in this project I integrate abstract trends in art (using macro optics) to illustrate brazen images of my naked body – often in states of extreme grotesque – that document my physical transition organically produced by the aging process. Working against the male dominated history of idealized nude portraits of women, these images denounce marginalized dialogues about body shame and death. The playful pastel color schemes serve as a metaphor aimed to ease spectators’ psychological tensions (a method used in Eastern cultures), potentially manifested by their subjective perceptions of “beauty” as they confront a physique amplified with imperfections. To achieve a visceral response for public viewing during exhibitions, I incorporate the use of a stereoscope device, which takes two photographs, adhered side-by-side, of the same object taken at slightly different angles and are viewed together -creating an impression of depth and solidity. The images inside the stereoscopic depict original family portraits of me as the main subject beginning from three months of age to present.

My objective is to commence dialogues that minimize the stigma towards body shame and death that include genuine societal appreciation for the elderly community.


"...only the young bring anything new. And they don't stay young for long."
-William S. Burroughs
 The Angry Nodule, 2017
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The Angry Nodule, 2017

 Generation Mountain, 2017
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Generation Mountain, 2017
 Perspective, 2017
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Perspective, 2017

 Broken Promises, 2017
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Broken Promises, 2017
 Deliciously Grotesque, 2017
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Deliciously Grotesque, 2017
 The Incredible Disappearing Woman, 2017 "Everywhere I went men gawked and chased after me to ask me out. Now I walk the streets and it's like I'm invisible." Consensus comments from female friends in their fifties and older.
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The Incredible Disappearing Woman, 2017
"Everywhere I went men gawked and chased after me to ask me out. Now I walk the streets and it's like I'm invisible."


Consensus comments from female friends in their fifties and older.

 Never Hide Your Smile (diptik), 2017 I have always been complimented on my "beautiful smile." In my teens I was hit in the mouth with beer bottles during bar brawls. As a result the nerves on my teeth were disconnected and the teeth grew yellow as I aged. I stopped smiling all together until one day my daughter asked me why I hid my smile behind my hand whenever I laughed. I never hid my smile again.
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Never Hide Your Smile (diptik), 2017

I have always been complimented on my "beautiful smile." In my teens I was hit in the mouth with beer bottles during bar brawls. As a result the nerves on my teeth were disconnected and the teeth grew yellow as I aged. I stopped smiling all together until one day my daughter asked me why I hid my smile behind my hand whenever I laughed. I never hid my smile again.
 PreMeno-Wha?, 2018
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PreMeno-Wha?, 2018
 "Say-ah!"  2018
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"Say-ah!"  2018
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 Hairs on My Chinny Chin Chin, 2017
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Hairs on My Chinny Chin Chin, 2017

 Liver Spot Pond, 2017
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Liver Spot Pond, 2017
 New Directions, 2017
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New Directions, 2017
 The Screaming Butterfly, 2017
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The Screaming Butterfly, 2017
 Stiff Upper Lip, 2017
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Stiff Upper Lip, 2017

 The forty year old miscarriage, 2017
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The forty year old miscarriage, 2017
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 Stereoscope Installation I intend to glue this apparatus permanently onto a white pillar sized to the average eye level  height . The stereoscopic cards will lay on the side where audience members can place one at the end of the metallic card holder -allowing the viewer a 3-D perspective of me as I age.
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Stereoscope Installation

I intend to glue this apparatus permanently onto a white pillar sized to the average eye level height. The stereoscopic cards will lay on the side where audience members can place one at the end of the metallic card holder -allowing the viewer a 3-D perspective of me as I age.

StereoScoptic Cards from Rocio De Alba on Vimeo.

This video deomonstrates a brief sample of the stereoscopic cards included in the stereoscope installation.
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This video deomonstrates a brief sample of the stereoscopic cards included in the stereoscope installation.
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© 2018 Rocio de Alba via Visura

Rocio De Alba

Rocio Alba Gonzalez, Rocio Photo, self portraits, Girl Anachronism, rocio de alba, miracle baby project, miracle baby, modern family, documentary photography
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